Cause of apartment blaze ‘intentional’ in Galesburg, firefighters say

The Galesburg Fire Department responded to a structure fire in a multi-family apartment building on the 600 block of Home Boulevard on Monday, according to a news release from the Galesburg Fire Department.

The response included all three stations and the 12 personnel on duty about 6:30 a.m.

Crews found four residents trapped on a second-floor balcony. Firefighters from the Fremont Street station deployed ground ladders and rescued the trapped residents while the acting captain made entry onto the second floor and rescued an additional occupant through the heavy smoke and fire.  

Battalion Chief Brackett established command and the Fremont Street Station crew used an attack line (hose line) to quickly extinguish a fire in the second-floor hallway. The Central Station crew established a water supply from a nearby hydrant and performed a search of the apartment to look for other occupants.

The Brooks Street Station crew performed ventilation to improve interior smoke conditions and helped other building occupants get out. No injuries were reported.

An emergency callback of off-duty fire personnel was initiated to provide emergency coverage for the city.

Preliminary damage estimates are at $2,000, the release says.

The cause of the fire was determined to be intentional. The case is still under investigation by Galesburg Fire Investigators in cooperation with the Office of the State Fire Marshal.